Keeping Seahorses in the aquarium is now very popular among the experienced aquarists as it gives a mesmerizing look to an ordinary aquarium. However, it was considered a myth as they generally did not survive longer in captivity. Since it was possible to breed them in captivity, it is easier to keep them in an aquarium.
Why Are Seahorses Difficult to Handle?
It is very sensitive because, unlike the fish, it has skin, not scales. Also, their gills are not well developed. So a slight mismatch in its requirements will remain in infection, which may lead to death. You will need to be twice careful about keeping them in the aquarium. As their digestion tract is very short, you will need to be selective at the time of selecting their foods.
Suitable Seahorse for Aquarium
The wild-caught ones survive a very short period in the aquarium as they failed to cope up in captivity. However, the success rate of keeping the captive-bred ones is much higher than this. For your reef tank, you can opt for Smooth Seahorse (Hippocampus kuda), Dwarf Seahorse (Hippocampus zostera), and Lined Seahorse (Hippocampus erectus).
Many fish keepers have a misconception that these are hard to manage. Well, that’s not wrong because keeping them is not the same as keeping any other fish. However, it is less difficult than what you have imagined. You can go through these tips:
Ideal Food for Seahorse
Frozen Mysis Shrimp will be the best food for the captive-bred ones. Make sure you feed twice a day and six days a week. Fasting for a day in the week is necessary because of the possibility of overfeeding.
You can feed them with live food, but that cannot be more than once in a month. You will need to look at the iron contents in the live food before feeding because iron will be extremely good for their health. When the Seahorse does not feel hungry, they will keep their tail coiled and relax on the hitching posts.
There is a possibility that they will leave the food uneaten often so, don’t forget to siphon out the remaining food right after 15 minutes of feeding.
Tank Set up for Seahorse
You will have to select a tall tank them as they prefer to move up and down more than to swim from left to right or right to left. It is because their gills are not that active. For a Seahorse, it cannot be shorter than 18” (45.52 cm). This size will be appropriate for the Dwarf Seahorse. If you want Smooth Seahorse or the Lined Seahorse, you will need a taller and larger tank.
You can use large pebbles and live rocks as the substrate for them. You can use artificial marine grass or corals or gorgonians for their hitching posts.
Avoid fast current in water as they prefer slow-moving water. For lightings, these species do not have any special requirements, so you can use any. They are not intolerant with any light. But a strong filter is very necessary as the undigested foods will stick in the substrate frequently due to the lack of well-built digestion tact. So, be careful about that.
Water Parameters for Seahorse
Water temperature has to be between 68-82°F, and the pH level has to range from 8.2- 8.4. Gravity has to be 1.022 – 1.026. Nitrate level has to be zero all the time, and you can do water testing daily to make sure this. One-third of water changing each week is necessary, and you cannot skip this schedule.
Tank mates for Seahorses
They are generally not aggressive to any aquatic critters. Blennies, Percula Clowns, and Tangs will be safe to keep with them. Also, you can keep two seahorses together in a large tank. Make sure you do not add any extreme aggressive fish with this.
So, it is definitely a good idea to keep the Seahorses along with other aquarium fish but make sure to check whether they are captive bred or not at the time of buying them from the pet store. It will amaze you with coiling and uncoiling its tails and also by making big bubbles, which will give you a sea-like feel at home.